The Journey Towards Healing My Metabolism

When I first started this blog over two years ago, I knew I wanted to combine my love of food and education in nutrition with my Christian faith. I just knew there was a connection there that seemed crucial and important to talk about. But beyond the fact that God created food for us to enjoy and that we should neither obsess so much about dieting and our physical appearance, nor be gluttonous - I lost direction on where to take it. There had to be a way that we could pursue a healthy life that was simple and satisfying, but even after earning a degree in nutrition it still seemed overly complicated and confusing. The research and latest trends are constantly changing, staple food items like meat, butter and dairy have been deemed “unhealthy” and inflammatory, while all plant-based options are marketed as “healthy”. But what does health actually look like? This is a question I found myself asking over the last year and the answers I have found have surprised me in the best way.

Almost exactly a year ago, I started realizing that I wasn’t feeling my best despite eating fairly “healthy” from what I understood and had been taught in my formal education. I was eating lots of veggies, a mix of plant and animal based protein, lots of nuts and seeds, taking omega-3 and vitamin D supplements, and trying to eat out and consume sugary treats moderately. Yet, I was always tired and cold. I always craved sugar. I had gained weight that was difficult to lose and I had very little motivation to work out due to lack of energy. I really didn’t think too much of these symptoms, I kind of just thought this was the reality of being a busy 20-something living in the real world. But on top of all of that, I had missed my period for a few months in a row which I knew was a bad sign and I started wondering if there might be a bigger issue I needed to pursue.

I stumbled upon some women sharing symptoms of hypo-thyroidism, and felt like every single one was describing my life. I felt like I wasn’t crazy for feeling the way I was feeling anymore and there could actually be underlying problems causing these symptoms, so I went to get some testing done. After testing, none of my thyroid levels were considered abnormal. I decided to continue down this path as I knew that even if the labs didn’t say so, something wasn’t right - I needed to get to the root of the issue. That’s when I found a community of women taking a pro-metabolic approach to nutrition and I felt so strongly that this is an area I needed to pursue.

It’s been almost a year of adjusting my diet, switching to less toxic products and limiting stress in my life, and I have seen a huge difference. I have so much more energy, my mood is more stable, I’m not cold all of the time, and I don’t crave sugar with the same intensity. I believe I will continue seeing success as I pursue holistic health. I have witnessed so many conversations with women who experience many of the same symptoms that I had been suffering from not even realizing that while they may be common, they are not normal. I am here to tell you that you do not need to live this way! As much as we all want a quick fix to our problems, this approach focuses on true healing which often takes time.

So what is this “pro-metabolic” approach to health?

Metabolism is defined as: “the sum of the physical and chemical processes in an organism by which its material substance is produced, maintained, and destroyed, and by which energy is made available.” So eating a pro-metabolic diet is eating to support the metabolism, or eating to support the processes of the body and those that produce energy down to the cellular level. It’s not a specific fad diet with a lot of rules, rather focusing on real, whole food that your body can get nutrients from and can easily digest. The work of both Dr. Ray Peat and Dr. Weston A. Price have been huge influences in this approach to nutrition.

Some of the foundational principles of supporting your metabolism through diet include: Increasing high quality animal products such as muscle and organ meats, animal fat, dairy and eggs; minimizing the consumption of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), specifically industrial seed oils; eating ripe fruit; preparing grains for optimal digestion (soaking, sprouting, or fermenting); and focusing on root vegetables rather than cruciferous vegetables. In addition to these dietary principles, it focuses on balancing hormones, lowering our toxic burden and improving our sleep and resilience to stress. This is a holistic lifestyle shift that can benefit anyone.

What makes me the most excited about this is that it actually aligns really well with the Christian faith. We get to eat the foods God has created for us - not the man-made ones. When given the proper nutrients that our bodies can actually utilize, our bodies can heal and thrive! We can eat to nourish, not to slim down or try to fill some insatiable craving caused by an imbalance. It truly is so beautiful and countercultural - just like so many aspects of our faith. I am so excited to continue on this journey and hope to share and inspire you along the way as well!